Reader Jason contacted us to share tips on how one can successfully resolve customer service issues by writing intelligent well-crafted emails to Gary Forsee, the CEO of Sprint. And, indeed, Jason’s emails are a cut above the usual seething buckets of bile that come squirting into our inbox.
nextel
HOWTO: Unlock Your Phone
By 12.8.06
Now that your phone is your own, you can unlock it. Depending on the type of phone it is, unlocking can be as simple as getting a code from your phone company, or as difficult as “drilling into a shield over the main circuit board to tap into the right contacts and kicking the phone into a special diagnostic mode to get at the unlocking code.” Uh, yeah. Thankfully there are smart people at PC Magazine who can give us the lowdown on the formerly shady practice of unlocking a cell phone.Yay!
Nextel Wins as Cellphone Company With Fastest Telephone Customer Service
By 4.10.06
Here’s the results of our week-long look into how long it takes humans at various cellphone companies to pick up the phone. Sprint was dead last and an old-school Nextel support line, first. Verizon and T-Mobile trailed not far behind.
Time to Human, Mobiles, Day 5
By 4.7.06
Only two more days to go in this week’s look at how long it takes a human at various mobile phone companies to pick up.
Time to Human, Mobiles, Day 4
By 4.6.06
Today’s results in our week long trial to see how long it takes mobile phone carrier’s humans to pick up on the customer service line.
Time to Human, Cell Phone Companies Day 3
By 4.5.06
All the mobile phone carriers performed very well today.
How Long to Get a Human?
By 4.4.06
Here’s how long it’s taking to reach a human at various mobile phone carrier customer service lines today.
How Long Does it Take to Get a Human?
By 4.3.06
In the wake of purple ribbons, zombies and looking up words in the dictionary, we thought we might want to try something resembling journalism. To that end, we’ve started the Time to Human project.
Round 3: Sprint vs. Verizon
By 2.24.06
Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you’re viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.
Witness a Sprint Rep on the Verge of Cracking
By 2.16.06
Paul H writes (our intro for us):
Having some persistent problems with a PCS modem, I sent an email to Sprint customer service via the form on their website. I didn’t expect that the people answering the general questions would be able to help me, but I wasn’t in the mood for discussing my problems with someone in India, nor could I find any real technical support on Sprint’s website.
Georgia Bill To Make Cell Carrier Contracts Less Restrictive
By 1.13.06
A Republican state senator in Georgia has filed a bill that aims to prohibit cell phone service providers from forcing customers to restart their contracts just to move to a new rate plan. The pandering doublespeak from the cellular service providers in this article is sickening.
Kristin Wallace, spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel. “In principle, Sprint Nextel believes the competitive wireless marketplace is serving its consumers well and that regulation of wireless service would be harmful to innovation and costly for consumers.”
Caran Smith, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, said … “By limiting a carrier’s contract options, the state in effect is limiting a consumer’s flexibility to move to rate plans and take advantage of services that meet their wireless needs.”
We understand that to subsidize the cost of phones your carrier wants to lock you into a contract—really, we get it. But there’s no way to justify the inability to switch plans to suit your needs within your contract period. (Not to mention the inability to purchase your own phone independent of the carrier subsidy and use their service on a month-to-month basis without using pre-paid.) (Thanks, Erendira!)
Sprint Asks for $25 to Help Parents Track Lost Child
By 1.12.06
Make no mistake: We think that Sprint refusing to help freaked out parents locate their carjacked baby is awful. Whether Sprint’s policy states that customers need to pay a $25 fee to subpoena the information or not, an exception should probably have been made. (Sprint has stated that emergency procedure was not followed.)
Consumers Speak: Sprint Nextel’s Shoddy Refurb Treos
By 12.28.05
Oz writes:
I have a business account with Sprint and every now and again, damage my equiptment – which results in a call to Lockline, there handset insurance contractor.
